MCG Rips on new owner of the old Carroll Beeler Bird

[BPTRacing]

It is one of the few cars that still retained it's 70's era look... and now it is erased. 

Justin
"CornDog"

Justin - First let me say NICE WORK - you are my new hero!

BUT ERASED??? NO WAY!!!!

Just because the paint is not the same, it is still the same car! The history will stay with the car even with the original restoration. Keep a large laminated photo of the old paint job and it will always be remembered in its full glory.If fact a good photo of the old paint will likely look better than the car did with the old paint. (I know my old high school sweetheart looks a lot better in my memory than she does now! )

As Doug Schellinger pointed out, his current "70's" paint looks great at 72dpi, but up close, needs help. Same with this car.  With an old photo nearby, it will still get the "I remember this car!", and now instead of hearing, "it is showing signs of wear" you will hear "WOW thats still in great condition!"

Love it for what it is, not what it was!

Hmm- in retrospect, I suppose what Randy has done is make the car into a Martyer, which of course means it will become more famous after being painted than before! 

Scotty

[pettybird]

It's a Vitamin C over white car...  in my book that slots in 4th best behind 999/white, 999/black, EW1/W1.  I'd LOVE to have it.

[RallyeMike]

The history will stay with the car even with the original restoration.

Some history (significant or otherwise) you remember fondly, and due to nostalgia, you always remember it as better than it really was.

Goodbye ratty-bird.

[Mike DC]

The whole thing is a sticky subject.




As for the Superbird's rust issue - maybe that was legit reason for the owner to have it redone at this time, or maybe it isn't. 



Honestly I think "rust preservation" is a murky area that is sometimes used as a justification to redo something because the owner wants to. 

It's one thing when the car is heavily exposed to things and the rust issues are actually worsening.  We all understand that logic.  But it's another thing when an original car is 95% there and the owner just wants the flaws gone. 

Some guys drive a car 8 months a year, and they still don't worry about long term perservation until one of the rear spring shackles punches up through the rusted trunkfloor.  Others keep a car indoors 362 days a year, and then they still want to strip down surviving 40yo factory paint & respray the entire car because of a few penny-sized rust holes on the lower quarter skins. 




As for the Bird in this thread, I could see either argument on that.    It definitely looked like it was a mess under the paint.  But on the other hand, some cars don't really worsen from that point for another decade or more if they live most of their life indoors.

A lot depends on the intended usage of the car in the present day.  And what the owner wants in terms of final condition. 

[CornDogsCharger]

So far I have taken over 1200 pictures of this car starting from day one.  The owner will have PLENTY of documentation on how the car once was.  To be honest, I told him that he should go as far as getting a diecast Superbird and paint it red (actually hemi orange), white and blue just as the car appeared and display it with the car.  I thought that would go good with the car.

Justin
"CornDog"

[69_500]

Me personally I'm on the fence on this one. I loved the retro paint job the car was wearing, really made it stand out from the crowd. However I happen to have a soft spot for OE style restorations as well. Especially on aero cars. I would say "Wing Cars" but we all know that I tend to like the 500's as well, and the Talladega's and the Cyclone Spoiler II's.

I would like to see cars restored with their wild retro paint jobs too. They are something that people remember, and for a lot of these cars they have been in that retro paint job with curb feelers, or flowered floor mats for much longer than they were in stock trim. Heck how many of these cars lost the factory rims within a month of being sold new?

[Mike DC]

   
I agree.  Day#2 restorations are under-represented at the typical show. 

The wheels issue is so true.  Going to a Mopar show you'd think all these Hemis and R/Ts rode around in the 1970s with dog-dish steelies, and we all know THAT sure ain't true. 




At the end of the day we're just talking about paint & wheels on this Superbird though. 

If the car's current owner had wanted all the same restoration done to the car but then he just happened to respray a copy of the custom paintjob back onto it, MCG would probably be praising him for it.


Corndog says he fully recorded the look of the custom paintjob before tearing it off.  It could be reapplied with a very reasonable amount of effort (not like some airbrushed mural that realistically nobody can ever re-create the same again).  So I don't see any huge harm done in this case.

[69bronzeT5]

   
It could be reapplied with a very reasonable amount of effort. So I don't see any huge harm done in this case.

It's only paint.

[billssuperbird]

 

[62 Max]

The article in MCG makes it sound like it is a mortal sin to restore this car.There were/are thousands of cars from that era,all brands with custom paint (if you want to call it that) applied at the owners personal taste.Some like them,some don't.I can't see where restoring a car is losing a piece of history.Its only paint.As for a piece of history,what would you do with this car,let it sit as found or restore the car.Same scenario.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110306170567#ht_3045wt_0

[CornDogsCharger]

Now that Pontiac is a TRUE piece of history.... This car is no comparison to that car... but to answer your question... in my opinion, I think that car should be restored to "as raced" condition.  The Superbird mentioned here isn't so much a "historical" car... but more so a "popular" car in the wing car community.  Outside that, it's nothing outstanding. 

Justin
"CornDog"

[69_500]

I'll agree somewhat on that one. I think that people remember the modified/custom wing cars a lot more than we would like to think. I know that when I'm sorting through the thousands of photo's I have, the ones that really stand out are the modified cars, and or the ones that I know my dad used to own. The custom/period paint jobs added a personal touch to the cars. Personally it makes them more identifiable to me, as in ones that people would probably drive and enjoy. Once they are OE restored the chances of them truly being driven and enjoyed is small to none in most cases. Nothing like seeing one of these aero cars just cruising down the interstate.

[BROCK]

The Superbird in question reminds me alot of a Petty blue Daytona with red wing that appeared
in muffler ads back in the day.  I liked that Daytona alot.  I like the Superbirds custom paint
(although without the vinyl top).  It reminds me of the Pete Hamilton's #40 Superbird; only better.

Anyone know of that Daytona I mentioned??

Oh - do what you will with your car!  Restoration to day 2 begins with day 1.

[69_500]

The Superbird in question reminds me alot of a Petty blue Daytona with red wing that appeared
in muffler ads back in the day.  I liked that Daytona alot.  I like the Superbirds custom paint
(although without the vinyl top).  It reminds me of the Pete Hamilton's #40 Superbird; only better.

Anyone know of that Daytona I mentioned??

Oh - do what you will with your car!  Restoration to day 2 begins with day 1.

The Petty Blue Daytona your talking about was owned at the time by Pete haldiman I believe. I think it was a factory F8 green car? I know he purchased that HEMI Daytona shortly after he sold my dad his HEMI 500, (R4 red, black vinyl top).

[BROCK]

The Superbird in question reminds me alot of a Petty blue Daytona with red wing that appeared
in muffler ads back in the day.  I liked that Daytona alot.  I like the Superbirds custom paint
(although without the vinyl top).  It reminds me of the Pete Hamilton's #40 Superbird; only better.

Anyone know of that Daytona I mentioned??

Oh - do what you will with your car!  Restoration to day 2 begins with day 1.

The Petty Blue Daytona your talking about was owned at the time by Pete haldiman I believe. I think it was a factory F8 green car? I know he purchased that HEMI Daytona shortly after he sold my dad his HEMI 500, (R4 red, black vinyl top).

Thanks 69_500!  Yes, I do remember the HEMI emblem on the door.  Do you know if the Petty Blue
Hemi Daytona still wears its custom paint?  I don't suppose a magazene ad is enough to warrant
keeping it non-stock - pity.

[69_500]

I think that it has returned to stock trim, years ago that is. I don't think it wore the custom Petty blue paint for very long. There was another 440 powered Daytona that had a similar paint job back in the early 80's as well. I think it was owned by Larry Bell in Indiana.

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

This car being restored from its 70's appearance of petty blue in red, i read somewhere that the owner of it before had another bird in the same scheme except lime green and yellow, anyone have pics of that car back in the day?

[Aero426]

This car being restored from its 70's appearance of petty blue in red, i read somewhere that the owner of it before had another bird in the same scheme except lime green and yellow, anyone have pics of that car back in the day?

Click on the link below.   It is the 4th picture down.

http://www.superbirdclub.com/customaero.html

Also, the Petty Blue Hemi Daytona from the Maremont muffler ad is in there too. 

[moparstuart]

The Superbird in question reminds me alot of a Petty blue Daytona with red wing that appeared
in muffler ads back in the day.  I liked that Daytona alot.  I like the Superbirds custom paint
(although without the vinyl top).  It reminds me of the Pete Hamilton's #40 Superbird; only better.

Anyone know of that Daytona I mentioned??

Oh - do what you will with your car!  Restoration to day 2 begins with day 1.

this car really reminds me of the #40 hamilton car also .

[69_500]

Doug am I right in thinking that the Petty Blue with red hood treatment car was a 440 car that was at one time owned by Larry Bell?

[Aero426]

Doug am I right in thinking that the Petty Blue with red hood treatment car was a 440 car that was at one time owned by Larry Bell?

This car (Jim Radke/Pete Haldiman) is not the Larry Bell car.   You are correct that Larry's car was a 440.   

[nascarxx29]

The orig R-4 Former Larry Bell car has a similar paint job in this link.To Jims Hemi Daytona
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,10887.0.html

[Aero426]

The orig R-4 Former Larry Bell car has a similar paint job in this link.To Jims Hemi Daytona
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,10887.0.html

[Aero426]

Speaking of Pete Hamilton's Bird, this one was painted up with the nose treatment.  It's a real 999 Petty Blue car too.

[BROCK]

Wow just WOW

Now, I have to get my pc fixed so I can add to my archive

I'm all for restoration & preservation - but these cars represent unfettered freedom. 
Bill France appears to be the beginning of socialism in 71 - but I digress.  I don't
watch NASCAR anymore - exceptionalism was driven out of the manufacturing end
of things starting in 71.  OK, I'll stop.